"Darla dirladada" is a traditional song from the island of Kalymnos

Kalymnos

Kalymnos, is a Greek island and municipality in the southeastern Aegean Sea. It belongs to the Dodecanese and is located to the west of the peninsula of Bodrum , between the islands of Kos and Leros : the latter is linked to it through a series of islets...

 in Greece. It was originally conceived as a song that sponge divers would sing when rowing their sponge diving boat [Kaikiya] across the oceans with words of encouragement and opportunity intended to motivate them to row harder. Full translation of the traditional Kalyminian version available http://townsvillemarine.com.au/dirlada/

One of the most notable recordings is that performed by Pantelis Ginis, a Kalyminian Sponge diver captain, who referred in his version to another respected Kalyminian sponge diver captain, Manolis (Emmanuel) Theodosiou, whose nickname was 'Kobalis'. There is a verse in Ginis version that refers to Theodosiou when the captain walked into a coffee shop where Ginis was singing his version. Ginis' version is that generally played in Greece even though there are older versions available.

There have been various modern versions recorded.

In 1970 the song was recorded by Italian-Egyptian-French singer Dalida

Dalida

Dalida , born with Italian name of Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti, was a world-famous singer and actress born in Egypt with Italian origins but naturalised French with the name Yolanda Gigliotti. She spent her early years in Egypt amongst the Italian Egyptian community, but she lived most of her adult...

. It was released as a single from her album Ils ont changé ma chanson, on which it features as sixth track. Dalida also recorded the song in the English-language ; the original version has been covered by Marva. The most notable cover version was that of G.O. Culture in 1993, which became a huge hit in France.

Track listings

7" single

1. "Darla dirladada" — 3:15
2. "Diable de temps" — 2:30

7" maxi - 1996 release

1. "Darla dirladada" (disco 96 mix) — 6:55
2. "Darla dirladada" (sirtaki mix) — 4:04

G.O. Culture version

In 1993, the band G.O. Culture covered the song in a house

House music

House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...

 and techno

Techno

Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...

 version. In France, this version was a success in discothèques and in terms of sales. Lyrics are completely changed and refer to Patrice Leconte

Patrice Leconte

Patrice Leconte is a French film director, actor, comic strip writer, and screenwriter.-Biography:...

's film, Les Bronzés. The single was the major summer hit in France and stayed for 29 weeks in the top 50, 22 of them in the top ten. It is to date the 847th best-selling single of all time in France. The music video shows the singers performing the song on a beach and on a boat. Several remixes were produced by French band Pleasure Game. This cover version has been covered in turn by K.O. Culture in 2006 in a remixed version.

Track listings

CD single
CD maxi

1. "Darla dirladada" (tropical club mix radio edit)
2. "Darla dirladada" (tropical club)
3. "Darla dirladada" (techno dance mix)
4. "Powe a Wanda"

Cassette

1. "Darla dirladada"
2. "Powe a Wanda"

12" maxi

1. "Darla dirladada"
2. "Darla dirladada" (maxi version) — 5:39

Certifications and sales

Country	Certification	Date	Sales certified	Physical sales
France	Gold	February 22, 1994	250,000	397,000

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
French SNEP Singles Chart	1